Christmas Carol

It just would not be Christmas without a Christmas Carol.   http://www.hshighlights/ has put all their Christmas unit studies  on sale.  Start reading a Christmas Carol out loud now and do the unit to go with it. Look around and see if there is a live play anywhere, and get several versions on DVD to watch.  Get a really old one, and the muppets version and the new Jim Carry version.  Have the students compare all three versions.

Thanksgiving Pages for Placemats

 If you want some really beautiful pages to have your students write out their Thanksgiving poems, or stories, we suggest you purchase the Notebooking Nooks Thanksgiving Notebook Pages and More. Just go to currclick and find this product. 
  I suggest that you have your students write a Thanksgiving story, a thanksgiving poem, a thanksgiving prayer and put them on these lovely pages.  Then laminate them to make placemats for the table this Thanksgiving.  

For other great Thanksgiving Units go to http://www.hshighlights.com/

November Jamestown Study

It's November and time to think about Pilgrims, Indians, Thanksgiving and so much more.
www.CreativeLearningConnection.com offers a very nice lapbook unit study about Jamestown.  In one section there is a timeline book which gives a nice short easy to read amount of information about
Jamestown's history. The other section has pictures and word cards to use to create a lapbook of your choice for this study.  They sell these items at  currclick.
As you begin to think about this month, get costumes for the kids and plan on having them wear these on Thanksgiving.  Have them act out a thanksgiving play of some sort.  Create all types of decorations and
other items.
See the thanksgiving items available at http://www.hshighlights.com/   all on sale this month for $2 per item.

Pumpkins and Halloween

This is that time of year.   Have you all gotten your pumpkins yet?   I remember the first time we carved pumpkins with my son, he did not like to touch the stuff inside.  So from then on every year we just painted our pumpkins or dressed them up.

Take a little break from your regular studies this week and do a pumpkin unit study.  At http://www.hshighlights.com/ we have a pumpkin fun unit.  There is a pumpkin puzzler, matching, fill in blank with opposites, dot to dot, unscramble, how to make pumpkin pancakes and lots of fun things.
Make sure to take a trip to a pumpkin patch, but you may find prices at your local grocery cheaper.  Take lots of pictures, cook pumpkin pie and make pumpkin seeds, or buy some.  
We also offer several halloween units as well.  

Fall is such a great time of the year.   But it is not all about trees and leaves and halloween.   There is another concept that I think would make a great unit and that is Farm life.  This is great because it pulls in harvest time, pumpkins, corn and more.    I highly suggest you find a local farm to visit.

http://www.parentled.com/   offers a very nice unit for fall called Fall on the Farm. This would be so fun to use along with a field trip to a local petting farm. The unit offers  very nice looking printable abc cards with fall and farm words, pages with lovely pictures that represent fall colors, some great pictures with different type of vowels introduced.  Then they give you a blank page to draw your own pictures and words, several pages where you can either copy the fall on the farm qoutes they offer, or write your own story.  There are some wonderful recipes and blank card to put your own recipes.  Then directions to make all of it into a great lapbook.  
You won't have to search the internet for pictures, they are all provided.  This unit is really worth it.  You can get it at http://sites.google.com/site/parentledhome/  for $3.

Remember all the fall units at http://www.hshighlights.com/   and see our halloween sale right now.   Spend the rest of the month studying Fall on the farm, Halloween, Pumpkins and more.

Autumn Fun Think Apples

Today I want to talk about studying apples. What a fun thing to add to your Fall unit study.
There are so many great things you can do with apples. One of my suggestions is that you utilize this really sweet unit study    My Nature Buddy Apple picking Unit by Cedar Tree Press.

This offers you a nice list of books to read, a craft, a jumprope poem,a label the parts activity, apple snacks to make, and pages for doing some
handwriting activities.   I thought this was a very pleasant unit.It is available at currclick here

The author is:  Melissa Ringstaff
Cedar Tree Press:
http://cedartreepress.blogspot.com
Visit her blog:
http://melissaringstaff.blogspot.com

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Fall is here...unit studies

Wow, Fall began on September 22.  Sometimes living in Texas we don't see the seasons change as drastically as they do up north so The Highlights of Homeschooling often forgets to get in gear for it.  But this year we remembered and have listed several of our fall units on the front page of our site at http://www.hshighlights.com/    

When you want to incorporate a Unit Study in your lessons, we suggest that you pick a subject of theme.  For example, Fall is a big theme.  Select something more like Leaves, or Trees that change colors.   
1. Now, go to the library and get out books that you can read to the kids, or that they can read (all that represent the subject).
2. Look for dvd's that might also have similiar themes.
3. Choose a unit study to go along with the theme.   You have many choices at http://www.hshighlights.com/   but I also recomment http://www.currclick.com/.    
4. Gather photos, or other physical items you can use to show your students real life objects for the study, such as
    different leaves from different types of trees etc.   If you live in Texas, then get photos of trees from up north that your kids would not otherwise get to see.

5. Take field trips that may enhance the study.  For example, in Texas there is a place called Lost Maples.  This is about the only place in Texas you would see Maple trees from up north.    (be aware though that you can't take home leaves etc.)

Now, look over your unit study, print out the pages that you want to use and then during one part of your day, utilize this unit study.    A subject can be done in a week or extended several weeks.   Kids will get bored if it's too long.

So, if you are doing leaves right now...in a few weeks....think pumpkins.....
See the Leaves unit at http://www.hshighlights.com/ and get busy before the changing leaves are all gone.